5 Tips for Perfect Side Control

Here at 10th Planet Van Nuys, you might occasionally hear our guys yell out during one of our rolling sessions, “Perfect side control!” Because of this, some of our newer students have asked me “What is perfect side control?” Well, perfect side control is basically the best side control position you can obtain. When you have the side control (side mount, cross body, etc.) position, there are several different ways to tighten it up by eliminating space between you and your opponent. Remember, this is always the goal when you find yourself in a top position. So, here are a few tips to do just that:

Make sure you are underhooking the far arm and the arm wrapped around the head is facing palm down. Also, make his head turn away! This hand positioning will eliminate space and allow you to turn your opponents head away from you with some shoulder pressure

Block the hips with your knee. Just as blocking the hips while passing the Guard is essential, blocking the hips after you pass is just as important

Sit back on your ankles and make your rear touch the floor. Staying lower to the mat means lower on your opponent

Remember to not pressure too far forward or backward. If you put too much weight back, your opponent could bridge and shrimp to recover the full or half guard. However, if you put too much weight forward, they could get a tight grip around your body and bridge away from you and possibly roll you and even end up on top!

The trick is to “drop” your weight. Create a frame, blocking the hips with your knee or hand and “pinning” the upper body. Once it’s created, drop your weight without pressuring too far forward or back

And there you have it! 5 Tips to really help your Side Control! Now, there are plenty of other ways to fix it up but this 5 is a great place to start. So, start to implement these into your side control and see how you can start really controlling your opponent from that position.

And remember, if you need to learn more about “What is Perfect Side Control,” feel free to comment, shoot me an email, get connected via Twitter, or come down to 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley and we’ll all be happy to help you out! Thanks for reading and happy training!